pain on the outsideof my left foot

by Patti

was sitting and on the phone for approx. half hour. When i got up to walk i felt this sharp pain on the outside of my leftfoot - between the heel and little toe. Next morning i could not put down my foot to walk until i gradually kept trying and was able to limp around again.

I have noticed if sit or rest for a period of time and try to walk, after it is even more painful. When i try to put my foot flat on the ground i actually feel the lancing.

RESPONSE

Hi Patti,

Over the years I have had patients who present to the office with a similar type complaint. For no apparent reason they are having in pain in their foot or even their ankle.
In all of these instances the pain came about either by sitting the wrong way such as your case or after sleeping; the patient will wake up with pain in the foot or ankle.
The good news is that since there was no trauma, the pain is usually self limiting. In fact, it would not surprise me that by the time you read this response, the pain may already be gone.
In your particular case, leaning on the outside of the foot could have caused a couple of problems.
The first that comes to mind would be irritation to the peroneus longus tendon which is a tendon that comes down the outside of the ankle and at the mid point of the outside of the foot, cuts underneath the foot and travels to the inside of the foot. Sitting in the position that you mention may have irritated the tendon where is cuts under the foot. This is a very common injury in people who wear shoes that are too narrow, as an example.
Also in that area is a bone protrusion (in most people), as the base of fifth metatarsal. You can actually see and feel the flare of the bone. If you were leaning too hard on the side of the foot you may have created nothing more than a bone bruise and this too would cause pain.
Lastly, the third possibility that comes to mind is what is known as a subluxed cuboid.
This is the bone that is just behind the fifth metatarsal base.
If you were leaning hard enough and perhaps if your foot was twisted inward enough, the bone may have subluxed (moved out of place).
These are the possibilities that come to mind, but are not the only problems that could be causing your pain.
If you have tried rest and perhaps some anti-inflammatory medication like Motrin or Aleve (if you can tolerate them) and the pain is still present, then the best piece of advice I could give you would be to see a foot specialist in your area for a proper diagnosis.

Marc Mitnick DPM
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